AFTER eating their last chocolate bar two weeks ago, Atlantic Ocean rowers Tom Rainey and friend Lawrence Walters have been living on spicy vegetable noodles.

On Tuesday, as they touched dry land in Salcombe, they had less than a day’s food left.

The pair were handed bacon butties as they arrived in the port and Lawrence told waiting crowds that the sandwich and cup of tea were ‘all I had been dreaming of’.

Salcombe sailor Tom Rainey and Lawrence, from Lymington, rowed in as World Record holders, after crossing the Atlantic for charity.

Tom, 24, and Lawrence, 23, completed their 93-day, 4,300-mile row from New York on Tuesday afternoon, meeting dozens of boats that had sailed out meet them, including a Navy boat carrying their families – creating an escort flotilla as hundreds of people cheered and waved flags on the shore.

Members of Plymouth University kayak and sailing teams, of whom Rainey is an alumnus, as well as multiple other vessels including RNLI lifeboats, accompanied them in.

Most significant for Tom, perhaps, was his late father Luke’s yacht. It has not been sailed since his death.

The pair undertook the challenge to raise money for the Brain Tumour Charity after Tom lost his father to a just before Christmas in 2012. Their boat was named Yves after Tom’s father’s boat, and the friends completed the challenge in his memory.

Funds raised by the Ocean Valour team will go towards the Brain Tumour Charity’s early detection programme and will help prevent other families losing loved ones.

Their epic, non-stop and unsupported journey, saw the pair survive a deadly hurricane, 60ft waves, winds of over 75mph, hallucinations and a brutal capsize. Luckily, Yves self-righted almost immediately as the team were strapped into their bed inside the cabin.

During the challenge, Tom was stung on the neck by a jellyfish while scraping barnacles off the bottom of the boat and, early in the trip, Lawrence had hallucinations that fishing boats near them were ice cream trucks.

They also got to see a wide array of wildlife including turtles, sharks, whales and dolphins.

Despite originally attempting to break the existing 55-day speed record for the route, the experienced oarsmen saw the chance evaporate when they became stuck in a monstrous loop of current 300-miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

After being pushed around in a loop for 10 days, the pair were eventually able to break free by rowing back the way they had come to break out of the monster eddy, but their chances of breaking the record was in tatters.

However, less than a week later, they were helped out by the Gulf Stream and favourable wind conditions which helped them achieve a new World Record for the greatest distance covered in 24 hours by an ocean rowing boat; an astounding 112.5 nautical miles.

Their second world record was achieved as they finished their challenge at 4.53pm on Tuesday, becoming the youngest team t o ever complete the route. Of the 60 or more crews that have attempted the route, just 23 have completed it.

Tom Rainey celebrated his 24th birthday at sea, but the usual flurry of presents and cake was replaced by a simple kind gesture from his teammate. Lawrence’s gift to his rowing partner was the last of the shampoo and the final squirt of deodorant.

Lawrence was a late arrival to the Ocean Valour team after a last minute back injury incurred in training ruled out Sam Coombs, 25, from Somerset.

The twosome took it in turns to row, each spending two hours on the oars before resting in the cabin for two hours.

They carried everything they needed on their boat, making drinking water by using an electrical desalination device powered by solar panels.

As the midsummer approached, the duo’s progress was of sufficient concern for them to start rationing their food supply. They saved up an occasional meal and held onto one or two chocolate bars from their 6,000kCal daily food supply.

This meant that they were gradually getting fewer and fewer calories every day. Both rowers have lost a significant amount of weight.

Sarah Lindsell, chief executive of The Brain Tumour Charity, said: ‘Tom and Lawrence have put themselves through an extraordinary challenge to raise an incredible amount of money for a cause they believe in passionately. None of us will forget their achievement..’

In taking on the North Atlantic they have raised more than £63,000 and this continues to rise.

Those wishing to support the team by making a donation can do so via their JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/OceanValour/.